David Warner backs Steve Smith to perform as Test opener, says ‘he is the best Test batter in the world’

David Warner has backed Steve Smith to take his spot as the new opener of the Australian team in Test cricket. Even as Usman Khawaja remains one of their potent openers, Australia are in a fix to pick his partner ahead of the Test series against the West Indies.

Warner, who recently played in his farewell Test against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground, said that Smith has the potential to succeed as Australia’s Test opener.

“I think (Smith) would go well, he is the best Test batsman in the world, he just finds a way. It’s probably the challenge of it which I think he probably wants to get into,” Warner was quoted as saying to Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist on the Prairie Club Fire podcast.

Warner said that Smith is someone who can adapt to different conditions and challenges, and hence should not have any issues with opening the batting.

“He’s ticked the box off where he is now ... he probably just wants to see if he can go out and open. He’ll adapt to any situation ... he’ll do very, very well,” he added.

In the 3-match series against Pakistan, Smith did not have the best of series with the bat in hand, keeping in mind the standards he has set for himself over the last 10 years or so. In six innings, Smith scored only 194 runs at an average of 38.80 and a strike-rate of 40 with a top score of 50 to show for his efforts.

Along with Warner, Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft are being considered as options to partner Khawaja in the top order.

The Test series against the West Indies starts on Wednesday, January 17 at the Adelaide Oval.